Carolina Politics Online

The votes have been counted and we’ve had time to digest the results. Let’s review, shall we?

U.S Senate (Republican)- Richard (20% of my own party told me to take a hike) Burr sent a victory telegram from a fundraiser in Washington, DC, showing everyone just what motivated that 20% to vote the way it did. Even in bad Democrat years, Democrats can pick off vulnerable, flawed incumbents. Tim Johnson beat Larry Pressler in S.D. in 1996. Mark Pryor beat Tim Hutchinson in Arkansas in 2002. Can Elaine or Cal beat Burr this year?

U.S. Senate (Democrat)- Wow. That was a thrill-a-minute primary, wasn’t it? Now politics’ answer to sleeping pills enters round two, with two people no one in their own party even cares about trying to lure sleepwalkers to the voting booth for the run-off. This almost makes me miss John Edwards- at least news stories about him are interesting.

Anyways, looks like Cal What’s-his-name is full steam ahead for a run-off with… That Old Chick, or whatever her name is. He seems pretty into it… to bad no one else is. Will there be behind-the-scenes pressure forcing him out for party unity? Probably. Will it work? Doubt it. As long as the only person he attacks is Burr, he’ll stay in.

U.S. House- There are only two outstanding races right now; Bill Randall and Bernie Reeves in the 13th, and Timmy D. and The Big Guy in the 8th. A third, Jeff Miller and Dan Eichenbaum in the 11th, may or may not be over; a recount may be imminent.

Republicans believe they have a shot at four Democrat seats in November- Shuler’s 11th, Kissell’s 8th, and, if the conditions are right, McIntyre’s 7th and Etheridge’s 2nd. Shuler only got 65% in his own primary, so he may have problems coming at him from both sides in November.

Etheridge is a socialist masquerading as a moderate in a conservative district (N.C. 2). Renee Ellmers, a nurse, will be his opponent. Every year there’s at least one under-the-radar race where a long-term incumbent gets beat down by an unheralded no one, followed by the national media echo chamber braying about how “no one saw it coming”. Bull. They’re easy to see coming- a good challenger runs a competent campaign in a winnable district against a long-term incumbent seen as “out-of-touch” and incompatible with the district’s overall philosophy. My early nomination for this year’s eventual “no one saw it coming” race? N.C. 2. A second nomination? N.C. 4. Don’t laugh- B.J. Lawson is a great candidate for that district and Price is an old buffoon.

I was surprised and disappointed to see Patrick McHenry easily handle his two opponents, including our friend Scott Keadle. McHenry may be a douche, but he knows how to win elections. If he managed to hold on in this anti-incumbent year against two millionaires dropping coin on him, he’s probably there until he gets caught in bed with a barn animal.

N.C. House and Senate- Kathy Harrington (R) will succeed David Hoyle (D) after winning her primary. Yes, there is a general election; no, it doesn’t matter… unless she’s caught in a 3-way with McHenry and his barn animal of choice.

In Wilmington, Thom Goolsby beat Michael Lee for the GOP nod and will face UNCW Chancellor Jim Luetze (D) in the 9th Senate District. Incumbent Democrat Julia Boseman stepped down to run for district court… and lost on Tuesday. Ooops.

In Wake County, Tom Murry won his primary by 200 votes over Todd Batchelor. Murry has a great shot at beating appointed Dem Chris Heagarty in one of N.C.’s most contested house seats. Also in Wake, our own Paul Terrell won and will face appointed Rosa Gill, who in the past few years has done her part to ensure that fewer black kids graduate high school in Wake County (she used to be on the school board).

In Mecklenburg, we can all celebrate as our long, statewide nightmare comes to an end- the Nick Mackey reign has ended. And to prove that when it rains, it pours, the state bar suspended Mackey’s law license a day before he got his ass kicked in the primary. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.

Smoking ban advocate an uber-RINO Jeff Barnhart survived a GOP primary in Caburrus County. I strongly regret not publicizing that race more, but I just didn’t have the time.

Along with Nick Mackey, four other house incumbents lost on Tuesday: Bruce Goforth of Buncombe County, Ronnie Sutton of Robeson County and Earl Jones of Guilford County, all Democrats, lost on Tuesday. One Republican lost, but she gets her own post below this one.

The Losers- Yeah, Nick Mackey lost. So did Julia Boseman. But do you know who the biggest losers of the night were?

The RNC and the DNC.

The DNC told Elaine Marshall, a four-time statewide election victor, to get lost. Their choice- some dude who was a state senator from somewhere for like, two years or something. How’d that work out, DNC? Oh, and now look- not only did the lady you screwed over beat your lackey, but now there’s gonna be a run-off and Richard Burr has more time to get ready for his opponent. Way to go!

Not to be outdone, the RNC brain-trust recruited candidates for the 8th District and the 11th district. Candidates who were supposed to be unstoppable. Candidates who would dominate a primary and dispatch the Democrat incumbents in November. Candidates who were vetted by the RNC Einsteins as the best possible Republican to run for those seats.

Yeah…

8th District- Lou Huddleston, 8.24% of the vote; 4th in a six-way race.
11th District- Greg Newman, 11.67%; 3rd in a six-way race.

Y’know, I’m starting a fund, right here on CPO, to benefit whoever was in charge of recruiting those jabronies. I’ll personally put up money for it. The prize? A trip to a blissful, serene tropical island, accompanied by none other than RNC Chair Michael Steele…. with no ticket back home.

The polls have now been closed for a few hours and enough of the precincts have reported to project fairly accurate results at this point.  So what happened?

Probably the best ass beating that took place tonight was that of the corrupt and sleazy Nick Mackey.  Mackey failed miserably to secure the nomination of his party.  His opponent Rodney Moore received 62% of the vote leaving Mackey with a paltry 38%.  Like they say, crime never pays.

In the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, Elaine Marshall and Cal Cunningham appear to be headed to a runoff election.  With 89 counties fully reported Marshall had 36% of the vote and Cunningham had 27%.

In the U.S. House Republican primaries, Renee Ellmers has won the Second District primary with 55% of the vote.  Congressman Walter Jones survived his primary challenge with 77% of the vote.  B.J. Lawson edged out Frank Roche in the Fourth District primary with 46% of the vote.  Ilario Pantano won the Seventh District primary with 50% of the vote, defeating 2008 nominee Will Breazeale.  In the closely watched Eighth District, Tim D’Annunzio and Harold Johnson will head to a run off to determine who will face Congressman Larry Kissell in November.  In the Tenth District Congressman Patrick McHenry easily fended off his challengers with 62% of the vote.  The Eleventh District is too close to call.  With 13 of 15 counties reporting, Jeff Miller had 40.47% of the vote, just half a percent more than what he needs to avoid a run off election.  The results from the last two counties will determine whether or not that will be needed.  If so, he will face Dan Eichenbaum in a run off.  And CPO contributor Paul Terrell won his primary race in State House District 33 with 67% of the vote.

In Mecklenburg County for the Republican primary for County Commissioner At-Large, former Sheriff Jim Pendergraph, former Commissioner Dan Ramirez, and Corey Thompson were the top three vote getters.

I’m only doing one endorsement for Tuesday’s primary, and here it is: If you live in State House District 33 (Raleigh), you should vote for Paul Terrell. He’s a great guy, he’s dedicated, he’s concerned with the direction of the state, and his opponent is a whackadoo.

There.

The rest of this post isn’t an “endorsement”, per se. You can go vote however the hell you want. I’m doing this because this is the congressional district in which I live, and I want to explain who I’ll be voting for and why.

There are four candidates in this primary, but only two of them have a chance to win on Tuesday- B.J. Lawson and Frank Roche. Here are the reasons I’m supporting B.J.

1. He ran a great race in 2008. In a terrible Republican year in an even worse Republican district, B.J. managed to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars and gain national exposure. He even made David Price sweat a little bit towards the end.  B.J. ended up with more votes than any Republican challenger had ever received against Price. A rematch, this time with a more experienced B.J., a more favorable national climate, and lower Democrat turnout in an off-year election, and we have an outside chance for a huge upset. In short- he’s earned another shot.

2. If I wanted to listen to Sean Hannity, I’d listen to Sean Hannity. Roche is a standard-issue Republican. Now, the Republican party has a lot of stadard-issue Republicans. But none of them are going to win in N.C. 4. This district is too liberal for any Sean Hannity-lite to win against someone like Price. B.J., however, is a breath of fresh air: a libertarian-oriented Republican who isn’t a down-the-line doctrinaire conservative. It’s those libertarian positions that make people take a second look at him… and get him noticed in places Roche wouldn’t get out of alive, like Durham and Chapel Hill.

3. We need more Ron Paul Types in Congress. I don’t want the entire party to be comprised of Paulites, but a few more of them wouldn’t hurt. In fact, a few more of them would help the party stay true to its (supposed) small government principles and bring forth new issues that need to be addressed (ie. Auditing the Fed). The Republican Party is stale and old. B.J. Lawson can be, as I said earlier, a breathe of fresh air.

4. Frank Roche has Only Lived Here for Three Years. Normally I wouldn’t have a problem with this; the Triangle is full of transplants and transients. Hell, Frank’s lived here longer than me! But I demand an explanation for how someone who has lived here for such a short amount of time can effectively represent the area. I asked that same question to Bill Randall and he provided a very good answer. Roche didn’t even bother responding. Which brings us to…

5. Roche is a Dick. Roche won’t respond to our questionnaire to let you know where he stands on several key issues, or to answer questions about his candidacy. But he WILL use our site to attack B.J. See, Roche’s website linked to our site, specifically to B.J.’s questionnaire answers, and used some his answers against him.

Oh, I see how it is Frank: You can’t be bothered to tell people where you stand, but when someone respects the voters enough to answer a questionnaire that you ignored, you turn it against them to score political points.

Hey, you want to link your website to something else on CPO? Link to this article, dick.

So those are the five main reasons I plan to vote for B.J. Lawson on Tuesday. Maybe you agree; maybe you don’t. But that’s why I’m casting my vote the way I am.

Dr. William “B.J.” Lawson is running in the Republican primary for the right to take on avowed socialist David Price in N.C.’s 4th District, which covers western Wake , Durham, Orange, and part of Chatham County.

Lawson graduated from Duke medical school and was a neurologist before starting Mercury MD, a medical software company. When he ran for congress in 2008, he recieved more votes than any Republican challenger had ever recieved against Price.

If you’d like to learn more about Lawson, visit www.lawsonforcongress.com.

1. How has your professional, non-political career prepared you to serve  in Congress?
I am a lifelong Republican and 18 year resident of North Carolina’s 4th District who moved to North Carolina to attend Duke University. I received my engineering and medical degrees from Duke, and started neurosurgical residency before leaving practice in 2001 to start a hospital software company. Our company, Mercury MD, was founded to help physicians save time and improve patient safety with mobile access to real-time clinical
information.
Starting this software company was the beginning of a nine-year course of study in business and economics. This practical business education, along with my background studying systems and human behavior in engineering and medicine, have been critical preparation for serving in Congress.
Specifically, the more I learned about the relationship between our political and economic systems, the more concerned I became about the future of our country and economy. We have an economic system that cannot be described as a free market — it is corporatism, where special interests send lobbyists to Washington to erect barriers to competition and regulate innovation out of business.
The ultimate special interest is controlling access to capital — our government’s ability to borrow and print money through the Federal Reserve enables bailouts of the too-big-to-fail, and is driving us off a cliff of debt that our country has no ability repay. We face stark choices between liberty and tyranny in the coming years, and I am deeply concerned about the world we are leaving to our children.
My wife and I have three children, and live in western Wake County. Our focus on family leaves us most concerned about our economic freedom to create our own jobs and businesses, our ability as North Carolinians to improve our own communities, and our ability as Americans to maintain national security when we’re heading towards national insolvency.

2. If elected, which committees would you ask to be assigned to and why?
Financial Services: The lack of transparency, accountability, and honesty in our financial system is dangerous to our financial markets and international financial relationships.
Science and Technology: I am concerned about the federal government’s efforts to regulate the Internet, as well as the impact of regulations on innovation in the science and technology sectors critical for future growth.

3. Will you adhere to self-imposed term limits? How long do you envision yourself serving in Congress? Will you support a constitutional amendment requiring term limits for the U.S. House and Senate? Why or why not?
Yes — I do not envision myself serving in Congress for more than eight years. I would support a term limit amendment for the House and Senate, but caution that more rapid turnover of representatives alone is insufficient to break the political class’ destructive grip on our economy.  We have a “shadow government” in the form of regulators and bureaucrats who are
unelected, and unaccountable. Many of these bureaucrats view themselves as the ultimate authority, as they have a lifetime of job security and are not held accountable through elections. They simply demand their budgetary increases, grow their fiefdoms, and continue looking for more ways to exert
influence regardless of what party or representatives are in power. We must reign in this shadow government of regulators and bureaucrats, and ensure that regulatory bodies are accountable to the people.

4. If elected, will you pledge that you will vote to repeal the entire Health Care “Reform” law? Not part of it. Not most of it. Every. Single. Word.
Yes

5. Have you signed the Club for Growth’s Health Care repeal pledge? If not, why not? (http://www.repealit.org/pledge/candidate)
Yes

6. Who is your choice for the next Speaker of the U.S. House?
Ron Paul (TX), Walter Jones (NC), Paul Ryan (WI), Jeff Flake (AZ) or Tom McClintock (CA) (roughly in order of seniority) would all be excellent House Speakers.

7. What aspects of the existing stimulus, if any, do you support for your District? Are there any tax dollars you would defend or fight to increase coming back to your constituents? What services would you reduce or take  away?
I do not support the stimulus. I will fight to prevent tax dollars from leaving the District in the first place. Presumably, the most valuable funds in the stimulus bill include $86 million for road construction and $49 million for our schools — but we should be funding our roads and schools within North Carolina by ourselves, without the strings attached from the federal government. The money we receive in federal spending should be for funding that is legitimately the role of the federal government, which should primarily consist of funding for military and national defense.

8. How specifically do you plan to create jobs in your District?
If we want more of something, we should tax it less. I would start by eliminating the corporate and individual income taxes, which are specifically taxes on jobs and productivity. I am in favor of replacing the income tax with a consumption tax such as the FairTax, administered by the states, and with the elimination of the IRS. Additionally, I will fight regulations that prevent people from investing their own money in new businesses, and increase costs for entrepreneurs trying to raise money in public and private markets.
Did you know that the government will not allow you to invest money in a private company unless you are an “accredited investor” with a net worth of at least $1 million or annual income of at least $250,000? Did you know that Senator Dodd’s financial reform legislation will raise those limits to $2.3 million, and $450,000? Does it make sense for the government to prevent us from investing in our friends’ and neighbors’ businesses?
We need jobs, but they must be private sector jobs created by entrepreneurs and business owners who do well by doing good, and taking care of their customers. Reducing the regulatory burden for entrepreneurs is the best way to create new jobs, and allow businesses to grow and succeed.

9. What, if anything, should the United States do to decrease its dependence on foreign oil?
We should stop subsidizing our dependence on foreign oil through foreign aid and nation-building, unlock our own domestic reserves to private exploration, and eliminate the central planning in our federal Department of Energy. Ending subsidies that distort our energy markets would encourage
local solutions to our energy needs.
Over time, petroleum fuels will become more expensive. The inexpensive oil is gone — today’s deepwater and shale discoveries are more expensive and time-consuming to develop, and the rates of production expected from new discoveries are insufficient to replace the reserves being depleted from existing fields. Increasing demands by China and India will only increase
global demand for liquid fossil fuels. We need to start adjusting to this new reality. Higher prices from ending all subsidies are the best signal to conserve and develop alternatives. A free and open market for competition and innovation is the best method for developing alternatives.

10.  Do you support some sort of tax reform plan, such as the FairTax or a flat tax? Why or why not? 
Yes, I will support the FairTax to end the economic cancer known as the income tax. The compliance costs of our tax system are huge, and it is as much a vehicle for welfare and social engineering as it is raising revenue.
The other tax we must identify and attack is the inflation tax, caused by the creation of new money by the Federal Reserve. The growth in government spending as the federal government has become the “borrower of last resort” depends on the Federal Reserve creating new money to purchase our government’s debt — thus enabling the unchecked growth of government, and destroying the purchasing power of our money through inflation.
We can protect ourselves from the Fed’s inflation by eliminating capital gains and sales taxes on gold and silver. This simple step will allow gold and silver to enter circulation and savings as alternatives to Federal Reserve Notes, legalizing Constitutional money and providing needed competition to an unhealthy monopoly.

11. On what position do you disagree with the Republican Party the most?
I disagree with the Republican Party’s position on our occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. While we must maintain a strong military and strong national defense and defend ourselves against those who would hurt us, we should not be building nations overseas while we are falling apart at home.
I will support an orderly and immediate withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan, and will insist that we take care of the troops who have answered our call to serve.

12. Name one thing that you believe Barack Obama has done well during his presidency.
Planting a White House garden — too bad the Clintons treated the White House lawn with sewage sludge <http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/michelle-obamas-toxic-veggie-nightmare-white-house-organic-gar/19114069/>, leaving elevated lead levels in the soil that renders much of the food unfit for consumption.

13. Name one thing that you believe David Price has done well since his 2008 re-election.
He’s done an admirable job of avoiding public appearances, especially since the bailouts and health care reform vote. When he does venture outside, he has  proven adept at using our municipal law enforcement officers to nurture the illusion that we live in a police state with a government that is completely unaccountable to its citizens.

14. If elected, what is the first bill that you will introduce in the House? Why?
The first bill I will introduce is the Read the Bills Act <http://www.downsizedc.org/etp/campaigns/27>,
followed by the Write the Laws Act <http://www.downsizedc.org/etp/campaigns/51>,
and One Subject at a Time Act <http://www.downsizedc.org/etp/campaigns/83>.
These bills will address the legislative malpractice that characterizes our Congress today, where our elected representatives pass laws without reading them, delegate lawmaking authority to unelected bureaucrats and lobbyists, and stuff favors and unpopular proposals into legislation they know will pass. I will also co-sponsor the Enumerated Powers
Act<http://www.downsizedc.org/etp/campaigns/87>
and Free Competition in Currency Act <http://www.downsizedc.org/etp/campaigns/85>.

15. You are often described as a very libertarian Republican, and some Republicans are uncomfortable supporting you and some of your positions. Do you consider yourself a conservative or a libertarian? What do you say to those Republican voters who may be afraid of your libertarian beliefs?
I remind my Republican colleagues of the words of Ronald Regan who said in a 1975 interview <http://reason.com/archives/1975/07/01/inside-ronald-reagan>, “If you analyze it I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism.” In other words, choosing between “libertarianism” and “conservatism” is a false choice — they are both philosophies that should be based upon Thomas
Jefferson’s classical liberalism, limited government, and individual liberty. It is also important to recognize that there is a difference between a libertarian and a Libertarian. I’d also encourage anyone who self-identifies with conservatism to read John Hood’s recent article, Grasping the Libertarian Vote <http://www.carolinajournal.com/jhdailyjournal/display_jhdailyjournal.html?id=6165>.
The challenge for Republicans is that the conservative brand has been polluted by the destructive history neoconservatism. The “Godfather of Neoconservatism”, Irving Kristol <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Kristol>, was actually a radical socialist who moved from the Democratic party to the Republican party to advance a philosophy of government that is pragmatic, elitist, and has continually acted to grow the size and scope of government in misguided efforts to solve problems of government’s own creation.
In short, neoconservatism is not conservative, and is diametrically opposed to the individual liberty and limited government implicit  in true conservatism.
Ultimately, though, I dislike labels and prefer that we discuss issues. My framework, and job description, for all issues surrounding our federal government is a strict constructionist interpretation of our Constitution. I encourage every American, regardless of party, to read and consider the Declaration of Independence as the philosophical foundation for our nation,
and the Constitution as the founders’ best efforts to live up to the ideals of that Declaration — a federal government that recognizes that every individual has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

16. You ran a great race against David Price in 2008, but lost. Why should 4th District Republicans give you a rematch instead of nominating Frank Roche?
We ran a great race because over 500 grassroots volunteers helped us staff every polling place, and over 3,000 donors nationwide helped us raise over $500,000. It was truly a team effort, focused on a transpartisan message of constitutional government, economic freedom, and freedom to create the
District, state, and nation we want our children to inherit. We earned over 153,000 votes in 2008, which is more votes than any other Republican challenger in the 4th District — and we earned those votes while swimming upstream against unfavorable turnout due to the Obama machine.
Fourth District Republicans support our campaign against the other three challengers because they know it takes time to build name recognition, and because they know incumbents are not often replaced in a single campaign.
We gave out 50,000 copies of our Constitution in 2008, and even today I run into people who say, “I remember you — you’re that Republican who gave me the Constitution. I voted for you.” Those Constitutions are more than my job description — they are seeds for a movement that has been growing over the past two years. We started planting them in 2008, and will plant another 50,000 in 2010 to ensure that we reap a harvest in November that sends David Price home to Chapel Hill, and restores prosperity and opportunity with honest, principled government.

The following is a press release from Dr. B.J. Lawson, Republican candidate for North Carolina’s Fourth Congressional District.

Rep. David Price’s Blind Support of Health Care Reform Bill is Irresponsible and Ignores Constituents’ Concerns Says N.C. Congressional Candidate William (B.J.) Lawson, MD

Congressman continues to demonstrate how he only votes along party lines without actually reading the legislation, while ignoring the country’s lack of Medicare and Social Security funds

CARY, N.C., March 16, 2010 – William (B.J.) Lawson, MD, a Republican candidate for the 4th Congressional District in North Carolina, sees Rep. David Price’s promise to vote for the health care reform legislation as a blatant disregard for the majority of North Carolina constituents who are speaking out against the proposals put forth by the Democrats in Washington.  Rep. Price stated this week that he will vote for the bill no matter what the final version says.

“There is no question that reform needs to occur, but the manner in which the legislation is being written – with numerous components that our bankrupt nation cannot afford and that will significantly decrease the quality of health care – is nothing short of reckless,” said Dr. Lawson.  “By combining Medicare and Medicaid payments that don’t cover physicians’ costs with the fact that our Medicare and Social Security programs are both cash flow negative since last year, it’s clear that we cannot rely on Washington to fix our health care problems.

The American health care system works great… unless you’re a patient or a doctor,” Lawson added.  “More government and insurance bureaucracy will continue to drive doctors out of business, as well as drive businesses into extinction through even higher taxes.  That’s not how we increase the availability and quality of health care in America.  However, Rep. Price seems to think he knows what’s best for all Americans.”

Dr. Lawson is running a common sense Congressional campaign primarily focused on the economy and health care.  His unique background as a physician and medical software business owner provides a fresh perspective on how to effectively fix the problems plaguing the U.S.

According to Lawson, a true health care reform plan must contain the following in order to ensure the utmost in patient care, which should be the goal:

• transfer of economic power from government and insurance bureaucracies to individual patients through funding tax-free health care savings accounts
• competition and price transparency among providers to offer innovative care at lower prices
• high-risk pools for patients with pre-existing conditions
• eliminating regulations that increase the costs of care for doctors and hospitals, and;
• insurance and tort reforms to focus caregivers on patient safety and stop junk lawsuits.

“Transferring economic power to individual patients will be the single best way to reduce fraud and abuse, and encourage competition to increase availability of quality care,” Lawson concluded.

Dr. Lawson and other Congressional candidates in North Carolina with medical degrees will be participating in a number of forums throughout the state to address the concerned physician community.  More information will be available at www.lawsonforcongress.com.

An entrepreneur and resident of Apex where he lives with his wife and three children, Dr. William (B.J.) Lawson is running for Congress in North Carolina’s 4th Congressional District.   For more information, see the campaign’s Web site, www.lawsonforcongress.com.

There will be a Republican primary in the 4th congressional district again as GOP candidates line up to face Democratic Congressman David Price.

B.J. Lawson, an Apex businessman with a medical degree, announced today that he would file for the seat joining Frank Roche, an Apex stock trader, reports Rob Christensen.

Roche had been stumping for the seat for months. But Lawson’s entrance is more of a surprise because he had initially indicated that he would not run again this year.

Lawson was the GOP candidate for the 4th district in 2008, losing to Price by a 63-36 margin. But Lawson generated a lot of interest because of his libertarian views and his fundraising prowess. He defeated Augustus Cho in the GOP primary by a 70-29 percent margin.

The N&O

Interesting. B.J. raised a lot of dough last time from libertarians and liberty caucus Republicans across the country. He’s also more of a “Tea Party” Republican than Roche, who is much more of a traditional conservative.

B.J. Lawson

Two candidates on the Republican side of the aisle have already stepped up to take on Congressman David Price (D-NC-04) in the 2010 general election.  B.J. Lawson who ran a hell of a good campaign against Price last year has decided to make another go at it.  Although Price won handily last year, defeating Lawson 63 – 37, it was no cakewalk for Price.  He had to run ads on television against Lawson and even bring some staff down from D.C. to help out on his campaign.  Unfortunately for Lawson, Price greatly benefited from Obama momentum and an electorate utterly disgusted with the Republican Party.  I think the GOP is recovering from that stigma however.  A recent Rasmussen poll shows that Americans now trust Republicans more than Democrats on six out of ten major issues, including the economy.  That didn’t take long at all.  If that trend continues Lawson might be able to pull off an upset victory next year.  The Fourth did vote for Bush over Kerry in 2004, so Republicans can be competitive in this district.  Additionally, Price was defeated once before by Republican Fred Heineman in the “Republican Revolution” of 1994.  Price had a rematch with Heineman in ‘96 and reclaimed his seat.  The Democrats have since gerrymandered Price’s district, after the 2000 Census, to make it more Democrat leaning.

The second candidate who has declared is a financial executive from Apex, Frank Roche.  According to the News & Observer, Roche hopes “to win over support of more traditional conservatives, who may not be comfortable with some of Lawson’s more Libertarian leanings.”  Yeah, whatever.  It was Lawson’s more libertarian leanings that made him such a better candidate than other Republicans in the past.   Lawson is a strong supporter of civil liberties and is opposed to the Iraq War and it was for those reasons that he was able to pick up the votes of some Democrats disgusted with Price who would have otherwise just sucked it up and voted for him had Lawson been another tired socially conservative neocon that the electorate has vehemently rejected in the last two election cycles.

Election Day isn’t the busiest day of campaign season. It’s the night BEFORE Election Day, when all the signs go out, all the volunteers are organized, all the strategies fall into place… and all hell breaks loose because nothing, NOTHING, is going according to plan.

But I’ve managed to squeeze a few minutes to give you my last endorsements and make predictions. I’ll be busy all day Tuesday, but I’ll be back Wednesday, probably with a massive hangover.

U.S. President:
I predict McCain takes N.C. 50%-48%. I also predict (going WAAAY out on a limb) that he wins PA and the White House. I don’t trust the polls. Not one teeny tiny bit. Of course, I could be way wrong. We’ll see.

U.S. Senate:
Hagan takes it. Those 527 groups just savaged Dole, and that was the difference. That, and Dole running a mediocre campaign. Hagan 51%, Dole 48%.

U.S. House:
Hayes’ seat turns blue; Kissell wins. No other changes. But B.J. Lawson will put a scare into David Price.

Governor and Lt. Gov:
McCrory narrowly wins, 48%-47%-5%. Pittenger wins 52-48. N.C. decides it really IS time for change.

General Assembly:
Don’t have time to go through them all, but perhaps a few upset watches- Duane Cutlip and Bryan Gossage, both R’s, may take down incumbents in Wake County. John Alexander (R) might pull an upset and win a Senate seat in Raleigh. In West N.C., one-term house member Cullie Tarleton (D) might fall as well. Republicans will make gains in the senate, but won’t take it.

Council of State:
Cowell (D) wins the open Treasurer’s seat.  Dem incumbents Marshall (Sect. of State), Cooper (AG), Atkinson (Education), are re-elected. Republican incumbent Steve Troxler (Ag) re-elected. Cherie Berry (R) will lose re-election as Labor Comm. The Auditor race will be very, very, verrrrry close, as Les Merritt has upset the Raleigh apple cart and a lot of people want him gone. I think (and hope) he’ll very narrowly pull through.

Republican B.J. Lawson has passed the $500,000 mark in fund raising for his race against Congressman David Price (D-NC-04).  This is undoubtedly the strongest challenge Price has faced probably since he lost his seat in 1994 before winning it back in 1996.  I have heard chatter here and there from people in the district that Price isn’t the best of listeners when it comes to the wishes of his constituents, but then that is what happens when an elected official gets too cozy in their office.

Lawson has a more libertarian perspective than a conservative one, something I would like to see more of in the GOP.  He seems like a younger version of Ron Paul.  For example, he opposes the Patriot Act, the Real ID, and has called for an immediate withdraw from Iraq.  He has railed against corporate welfare and has hit Price for supporting the Federal bailout as well as the National Bio- & Agro-Defense Facility proposed for Butner, which some feel would be a bio-hazard.  He decries our current health care system, labeling it “corporate care” and advocates more HSAs and affordable insurance through the free market.

On Tuesday, Lawson is the guy that should win, but I have a feeling David Price will be sticking around.  If this were a better year for Republicans I would say that he might have a shot, but I just can’t see Price going down in this election.  I think the race will be closer than in the past and it might give Lawson a boost should be decide to make another go at it in 2010, which could be a completely different political environment.

Democracy Corps is James Carville’s organization. This poll was taken from August 20th through August 26th.

Now you should bear in mind that the samples were very small, less than 100 people in each Congressional district, so there is going to be a larger margin of error than in most polls. However, most of these percentages seem fairly accurate to me. The only two I question is NC-05 and NC-08. I don’t think that Virginia Foxx is in a statistical tie with Roy Carter, though I don’t doubt he isn’t close to her. I also think the gap between Robin Hayes and Larry Kissell is smaller than the eight point spread shown in this poll. Shuler is crushing Mumpower which I have been saying since the birth of this blog would be the case no matter which Republican Heath runs against. Plus, the fact that Mumpower’s race has been akin to a Barnum & Bailey juggling act only makes it more so. I don’t know why NC-12 and NC-13 were not included on this poll, but I think the conventional wisdom is that neither Mel Watt nor Brad Miller have much to worry about this year.

All and all, I don’t see any of the Congressional districts in North Carolina switching parties this year. I think all of the incumbents are going to be retained. If Kissell loses, I’m afraid my friends at BlueNC will become suicidal.

Update: I mistakenly had the Fifth District Democratic candidate listed as Roy Cooper instead of Roy Carter. That has been corrected.

Residents of N.C.’s 4th Congressional District got a wonderful little gift in the mail the other day- a beautiful glossy campaign ad from quasi-socialist congressman David Price paid for at taxpayer expense.

It’s one of those annoying “Keeping in Touch” mailers that congressmen use to exalt themselves while ostensibly keeping in touch with the little guy, like you and me. These mailers, being official government business, are paid for with taxpayer dollars. Nice to see Congressional franking privileges being put to such good use.

Anyways, what really creams my wheats about this mailing is a section he called “Drilling Down the Rhetoric”, wherein he calls expanded drilling a “deeply flawed” idea. He opposes offshore Atlantic drilling because “it would be a dangerous gamble with our state’s important tourism and aquatic resources”. No, Congressman, a dangerous gamble is relying on oil from countries who hate us and who are in a militarily unstable part of the world. And I suggest you ask Brazil and Norway, two countries who have had great success with offshore drilling, how much of a detriment it is to their aquatic and tourism resources.

Price goes on to say that according to the Energy Information Administration’s Annual Energy Outlook, 2007, Atlantic and Pacific drilling “would have no significant impact on production or prices before 2030″. Well, I may not be an energy expert, but I call “BS” on Price and that study. Expanding the supply during a period of heavy demand will almost certainly bring prices down, and it won’t take 23 years to build a damn oil platform or to see price reductions.

Price concludes by demanding that those big mean evil oil companies drill in land that has already been set aside for them. Well that would be swell, except for that we don’t know if there’s any oil in them thar hills. We DO know, however, that there’s a veritable ocean of oil in ANWR, but boobs like Price won’t let drillers near it because we might hurt a caribou.

Price is a old hack who’s been in Congress for over 20 years- which is 20 years too long. I hope my fellow 4th District residents take a good look at this clown and at his opponent, B.J. Lawson, and decide that it’s time for a change.

Cho, former chairman of the Orange County Republican Party, sought to portray himself as a mainstream conservative and Lawson as a libertarian who follows the same creed as GOP presidential candidate and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas.

“It’s going to take a true Republican to beat David Price, not a libertarian quasi-Republican,” Cho said. “I call him ‘Ron Paul Jr.’ because that’s what he is.”

Lawson, a businessman who founded and later sold a medical software company, didn’t exactly run away from the characterization. He said Cho has no real strategy for defeating Price, and argued the GOP has to change its approach to appeal to middle-of-road voters.

“My strategy is all about building bridges,” Lawson said. “We need to stop dividing the country against itself.”

The issues dividing the two candidates were plain, most often when they addressed foreign policy.

Lawson made it clear he’s no supporter of the Bush administration’s handling of the Iraq war, or of its approach to post-9/11 domestic security.

Both, he said, posit a “state of war that has no criteria for success and frankly will never end.”

Americans, he added, “tired of the same old message,” “tired of living in fear” and believe they don’t “have to sacrifice liberty and freedom,” he said. Moreover, “the idea that we can police the world for Germany and South Korea at no cost to them and all the cost to us [is], frankly, unsustainable.”

The Herald Sun

I agree with Lawson. We are slowly giving up our freedoms in the name of supposed security. How much more will continue to erode under the guise of keeping us safe? He is also correct about the U.S. being the world police. We cannot financially afford to continue bearing the burden of the Monroe Doctrine. It’s time we started spending more of our time and resources on our own people instead of the rest of the world who quite frankly isn’t very grateful for it.

DURHAM — Congressional hopefuls B.J. Lawson of Cary and Augustus Cho of Chapel Hill will debate at Wednesday’s All Interested Republicans meeting at the Hope Valley Country Club.

The meeting begins with lunch at 11:30 a.m. Reservations are required. Call (919) 519-0761 to reserve a place.

Lawson and Cho hope to challenge for the Fourth District seat held by Democrat David Price of Chapel Hill.

The Herald Sun